"As any gardener will tell you, the cycles of nature
require patience . . . even a fast growing vegetable like a radish requires time."
M.J. Ryan
Every day, it seems, each of us has to wade through what feels like a dizzying amount of information, much of it seemingly conflicting, about the state of our world and COVID-19. Some of us follow local news outlets, others prefer national news sources. Some of us turn to friends, others prefer to rely on nationally or internationally recognized experts.
But what does the information mean to each of us? How do we make sense of the world and how do we make the best informed choices for ourselves and our loved ones?
I came across this article in
The Atlantic
that helped clarify why there seems to be so much conflicting information. With something as complex as a pandemic, there are no single experts.
"The issue is that modern expertise tends to be deep, but narrow."
The author, Ed Yong, goes on to suggest,
"To work out if widespread testing is crucial for controlling the pandemic, listen to public health experts; to work out if wide-spread testing is possible, listen to supply-chain experts. To determine if antibody tests can tell people if they're immune to the coronavirus, listen to immunologists; to determine if such testing is actually a good idea, listen to ethicists, anthropologists, and historians of science. No one knows it all, and those who claim to should not be trusted."
He continues,
"If officials, and journalists, are clear about uncertainties from the start, the public can better hang new information onto an existing framework, and understand when shifting evidence leads to new policy."
And that's the point - as our understanding of the pandemic evolves, the information we hear evolves. And sometimes the new information seems to conflict with the older information.
Nevertheless, I was cautiously optimistic when the Governor allowed a loosening of some of the public health restrictions last Friday that have been in place for the past six weeks. Calling it a “Preparation Phase,” some businesses that are considered "non-essential" to healthcare services have been allowed to reopen. But maintaining physical distancing from each other is still necessary. As the Governor pointed out,
"The best defense against this virus, until there is a vaccine, is physical distance from other people."
As of April 30, there were 3,411 reported cases of COVID-19 in New Mexico and 123 reported fatalities associated with the virus. In Santa Fe County, there have been 107 confirmed cases, but no deaths. And the "doubling rate," an estimation of how many days it takes for the number of coronavirus cases to double, has increased statewide, from 1.9 days to 6.1 days. While the trend bodes well, at least for the near-future, it's very difficult to predict the long-term future.
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Laurie Garrett, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist who has researched and followed a number of viral outbreaks since the mid 1990s,
predicts that outbreaks of the cornavirus will continue to occur in waves
.
"It won't be a tsunami that comes across America all at once and then retreats all it once. It will be micro-waves . . . and it's going to affect how people think about all kinds of things."
What does all of this mean for Kitchen Angels?
For one thing, we will maintain social distancing, mandatory face masks, and all of the practices we've put in place to protect staff, volunteers and our clients. The protocols are working well and, as new and reliable information comes out, we will adjust our practices as necessary.
For another, we're hoping to re-open KITCHENALITY in a limited capacity. We're modifying the space to protect volunteers and customers as well as restrict the movement of customers to only the store. Interaction between store volunteers and program volunteers will be limited.
If the spread of the virus continues its downward trend, we may look at modifying some of our practices. If, however, as Ms Garrett predicts, viral outbreaks continue in waves, we may implement even stricter protocols for the fall should things become worse.
These are uncertain times and the best we can do is remain attentive and vigilant, recognize that no one expert has all of the answers, and accept that conditions will be fluid for quite some time.
Still, I've seen how adaptable Kitchen Angels volunteers and staff can be. I've also seen how determined we all are to make sure our clients receive the meals on which they depend. So I'm confident we will successfully face the future's uncertainty with the kindness, compassion, patience and thoughtfulness that are the hallmark of Kitchen Angels.
In gratitude,
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Thank you for your vigilance. We want you to stay safe, healthy and informed.
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We're not out of the woods yet.
Please remember to maintain all social distancing protocols to keep our clients, each other and our loved ones safe and healthy.
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